In the container industry, specialized containers have been developed for specific applications. For example, in the food packaging industry, specific package types for cereals, frozen foods, dairy products, and other types of foods have specific packaging types that have come to be identified with the specific product. Many food products come in one-time use packages that are opened once and then discarded because there is no need for closure once the package has been opened.
For some food products, it is important to have a reusable package that can be repeatedly opened and closed. For example, a traditional cereal box is opened and closed many times over its useful life. Some reusable packages use close tabs or tacky adhesives to enable the package to be re-closed once it has been opened. Such closure mechanisms have drawbacks. For example, a tab generally sticks out from a panel and is easily deformed or ripped off, with a resulting decline or loss of effectiveness for closure. Adhesives areas may be soiled over time, resulting in reduced tackiness and, therefore, reduced closing ability. Further, previous closure types do not allow for the reliable creation of a seal when closing a package. A reliable seal is beneficial in several container applications, such as a microwave cooking application where the seal is necessary to hold in steam during cooking, or refrigeration or freezing applications in which air exchange between the container and the surrounding environment is unwelcome.
It is desirable to create a convenient container having an easy-to-use closing mechanism that overcomes these and other faults of previous containers.